Every institution that knew you by its own number now wants your Ghana Card number instead. Two of the four links can be done from any phone in a couple of minutes, with a USSD code and no data. The other two need you at a counter, because they need your face.
| Link | How | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| NHIS | Dial *929#, option 4 | Free |
| SSNIT | Dial *711*9#, option 1 | Free |
| Your SIM | At your network’s office or an agent | Free |
| Your bank account | At a branch, or in some banks’ apps | Free |
Nobody needs to do any of these for you, and anyone who offers to for a fee, or asks for your card number and PIN to do it, is not to be trusted. The NHIA has warned publicly about people posing as its staff to “link” cards.
NHIS
You need your Ghana Card number and your NHIS membership number, which is on your NHIS card.
- Dial *929#.
- Choose 4, to link your Ghana Card.
- Enter your Ghana Card number.
- Enter your NHIS membership number.
- Confirm. A message tells you whether the link went through.
The same code renews membership and checks its status, which is why linking first is worth it: renewing by phone needs the card on the record. — NHIS health insurance
If it fails, the usual reason is that the name or date of birth on your NHIS record differs from the card. That is corrected at an NHIS district office, with the card.
SSNIT
Your SSNIT number and your Ghana Card number are being merged into one, so your contributions follow the card.
- Dial *711*9#.
- Choose 1 to merge your SSNIT number with your Ghana Card.
- Follow the prompts, entering your Ghana Card number.
- To check whether the merge has gone through, dial again and choose 2. The result is sent to the email address on your SSNIT record.
If the merge is refused, the names on the two records do not match. Go to a SSNIT branch with your card and your SSNIT biometric card or statement. A contribution record you cannot link is money you will struggle to claim. — SSNIT and pensions
Your SIM
Every SIM in Ghana must be registered to a Ghana Card, or to a passport for a foreigner without one. Registration is in person at your network’s office or a registered agent, with the card: your face is photographed and matched against the NIA record. You may register up to 10 SIMs across all networks.
Check what is registered to you with *402*1# - it lists every number on your card on every network. A number there that is not yours should be removed at that network’s office. — Checking your Ghana Card details
Your bank account
Banks link accounts to the card at a branch, by checking the card against the NIA register, and some do it in their app with a selfie. If your bank has frozen withdrawals or transfers because the account is not linked, this is the fix, and it is free. Bring the card, not a photocopy.
Mobile money wallets are linked by the network, the same way as the SIM. — Mobile money
The one problem behind most failures
Almost every failed link is a name that differs between two records: a missing middle name, a married name on one and a maiden name on the other, a different spelling. Decide which record is right, correct the other one, and link again. If the card itself is wrong, that is an NIA correction.